Betty D Taylor

Betty D Taylor Long time Alaskan resident Betty D Taylor, 78 passed away November 15, 2021, peacefully in her home surrounded by her 4 children in Wasilla, Alaska. A service will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints located at 23091 W Downing Rd Willow, AK. A viewing will be held from 11:00 to 12:30 and the funeral service will be held at 1:00 at the same location. She will be buried next to her sweetheart Max. Betty was Born on September 30, 1943, in Salina, Utah to Rulon and Bertha Ellett the third of five children. Strong bonds were enjoyed between her and her siblings: Sheldon, Mona, Theresa Mae, and Flora Bell. Best friends still today. They grew up on a ranch in Wayne County, Utah in the small community of Bicknell. They enjoyed a wonderful childhood there. Betty was active in her school and extracurricular activities such as FFA, cheerleading (captain), dance, and riding her horse. It was at school where she met the love of her life Max. After graduating High School, Betty traveled to Salt Lake City to attend Beauty School. She excelled there and met many lifelong friends while there. On May 21, 1965, Betty married her High School Sweetheart Max Taylor in Bicknell, Utah surrounded by family and friends. After marriage Betty and Max moved to the Salt Lake City area where they found employment and began their family. While raising her children Betty worked off and on as a beautician both in her home and at various beauty shops in the area. After a few summers traveling to Alaska from Utah, in 1981, Max convinced Betty to move permanently to Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage was their home for two years. In 1983, the family moved to a spacious plot of land along Willow Creek in Willow, Alaska. Rural life came easy to Betty as she would garden, landscape and generally beautify her home and property. Even the occasional bear or moose in her new yard didn’t scare her away from her new home in the woods. Betty quickly became a part of the community and an active part of her church. The same church she attended the rest of her life. She loved her church family and the community as a whole. She found employment at the local elementary school, Willow Elementary, where she was a Special Education Aide. She eventually retired from this vocation many years later after working at various other schools throughout the area such as Big Lake Elementary, Houston High School, and Meadow Lakes Elementary. After her husband Max passed away in 2005, Betty felt the need to live closer to family and activities. In 2014 she decided to sell her precious home and land in Willow to move closer to family in Meadow Lakes. Her new home became a sanctuary for her family as every Sunday was a family dinner that included friends, Missionaries, and many adopted members to the Taylor Family. She loved the home even before she purchased it and was comfortable there where she was close to family and friends. Living “in town” made Bettys travel to her grandchildren’s activities much easier for her. Activities that she wouldn’t have missed for anything. These activities included any sporting event, school function, church activity etc.. Any time there was a sporting event that Betty’s grandchildren was involved in, she would be situated in her stadium seat in the bleachers where she could watch and cheer. She donned a sweatshirt or t-shirt supporting the school that she was cheering for as well without fail. She loved cheering for her grandchildren and then eventually her great grandchildren. If you asked someone that was befriended by Betty, they would say that she had a special talent for making them feel loved and appreciated. An attribute she would credit to her savior Jesus Christ, a person she patterned her life after at every opportunity. She shared all she had both temporally and spiritually. She simply loved. If you were spotted at a gym, grocery store, church, or any other location, you could bet Betty would come to you to say hi and let you know you matter. Friendship wasn’t temporary, it was for life. Betty is survived by her children Jeff and wife Leslie, Bret and wife Lesa, Rick and wife Wendy, and Keri and husband Brian Anderson, 19 grandchildren, and 16 great grandchildren. Betty was proceeded in death by her husband Max, daughter in-law Shawn Taylor, two granddaughters Corrine and Kara, her brother Sheldon, and parents Rulon and Bertha Ellett. Betty left behind a wonderful legacy of service, friendship and love. If she was asked to offer one piece of advice it would almost certainly be to “Remember who you are, and where you are going.” Funeral services are being provided by Legacy Funeral Homes.